1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to painting tools and, more specifically, to grates for removing excess paint from a roller.
2. Description of the Related Art
A painter often uses a roller brush to apply paint. Typically, the paint is purchased in one-gallon cans or, for larger commercial jobs, two or five-gallon plastic buckets. A painter can apply paint to a roller either by rolling the roller brush in a shallow tray that has been filled with paint or by dipping it into a bucket. The painter then rolls the roller against a grate or similar flat surface, which may either be integrally formed in a tray bottom or may be a separate screen or grate. Such a grate is typically made of metal screening. When applying paint from a bucket, the painter inserts the grate into the bucket and props it against the wall of the bucket. The upper edge of the grate may have a hook that can be hung over the bucket rim to stabilize it. The painter dips the roller into the paint in the bucket and then rolls it against the grate in the bucket to remove the excess paint and more evenly distribute the paint throughout the roller.
Using a grate and bucket as described above is often annoying because grates tend to slip off the bucket rims and slide into the buckets. Furthermore, painters rarely reuse the grates after completing a job.; the grates are typically discarded along with the paint buckets. Consequently, the cost of the grates cannot be discounted as part of the cost of a painting job. And, like anything that is not reused or recycled, the discarded metal grates can impact the environment. It would therefore be desirable to provide a roller painting device that is economical, convenient to use, and reusable or at least readily recyclable. These problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by the present invention in the manner described below.